


Catfished

by Spoodlemonkey



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Bad Touch, Bad date, Catfished, First Kiss, Freddie to the rescue, M/M, cause I'm cliche like that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-09-30 23:39:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17233319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoodlemonkey/pseuds/Spoodlemonkey
Summary: “Mitchell.” He tries to convey his desperation in that one word. “Don’t you dare hang up! This is life or death!”





	Catfished

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to GreyMichaela who read this over for me despite being so busy!!!! Any other mistakes are my own.  
> See end for warnings.

Connor isn’t even sure why he agreed to this in the first place.

Okay, that’s a lie.

The guy had seemed sweet online, had said he was into hockey, and gaming, and they liked a lot of the same movies and it hadn’t hurt that he’d been tall, dark and handsome,  _ exactly _ what Connor needed to get over his ridiculous crush. 

Now, he’s pretty sure he’s been played. 

Gaming had apparently meant Dungeons and Dragons- which fine, whatever, a bunch of his friends are into it, he’s just never been able to get into it. But the guy, Alex, had looked blank when Connor had tried to bring up hockey, mentioned the college league he was in, and Connor knows enough to know when the wikipedia summary of his favourite movie is being parroted back at him. 

Top it off with Alex’s pictures being  _ a lot _ more flattering than the real thing and Connor was regretting the decision to try dating as a means of coping.

What did they call it again? Catfishing? 

He’s pretty sure this has happened to a friend of Mitch’s...Tyson something. Connor just can’t believe it happened to  _ him _ .

So maybe Connor could have overlooked it if the guy was sweet or charming. 

“I got you another drink.” Alex sits as close to Connor as he can without sitting in his  _ lap _ , one hand holding a cooler and the other landing high up on Connor’s thigh.

Connor’s pretty sure Alex has never been sweet or charming in his  _ life _ .

“Thanks, but I think I’ll stick to water.” He inches away,  _ removes _ Alex’s hand from his thigh- but it’s like it’s  _ spring loaded _ and just ends up right back where it started. 

Alex pastes on a smarmy smile and Connor eyes the drink as he sets it on the coffee table, vaguely concerned that it’s laced. 

So he’d been an idiot and agreed to go to this ‘house party’ Alex had been raving about, just to be polite at that point. Turns out it was  _ Alex’s _ house and the party had yet to get started. 

Aside from Alex’s roommate and his girlfriend- who at the moment seem pretty intent on finding each others tonsils.

Alex’s hand slides higher.

“I’ve gotta use the washroom.” Connor lunges to his feet, nearly knocking over the drinks on the coffee table, and makes a run for it.

At which point he whips out his phone and calls the one person he knows will have their phone in their hand.

“ _ How’s it going _ ?” Mitch’s voice is muffled and there’s the rustle of what is probably a chips bag in the background. Connor’s pounding heart settles a little at the familiarity.

“Get me  _ out  _ of here,” Connor whispers desperately, one eye on the door like Alex will bust it down if he takes too long in there.

“ _ So, not having a good time then? _ ” Mitch giggles. “ _ What? He didn’t pay for your coffee? _ ”

“Mitch, this is not funny.” 

“ _ If you’re having such a bad time just leave, say you have to pee and just walk out. _ ”

“I’m already hiding in the washroom !” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “At his  _ house _ .”

“ _ What the hell are you doing there? _ ” Mitch starts laughing and Connor is honestly ready to reach through the phone and strangle him. “ _ Oh no, did you agree just to be nice? He totally thinks he’s getting laid _ .”

“I’m not sleeping with him!” He casts a wary glance at the door. Alex is probably on the other side with his ear pressed against it, listening in. It feels like something the guy would do.

“ _ Honestly, just walk out if you’re that stressed. _ ”

“I have no idea where I  _ am _ ,” he hisses. “I need you to find my location and come get me. I’m pretty sure he’ll just follow me out if I try to leave by myself.”

“ _ Yeah ok, give me a few minutes, _ ” Mitch mutters, sounding put out that he has to give up his Saturday night to  _ save Connor’s life _ . And Connor panics because it sounds like Mitch is about to disconnect.

“ _ Mitchell _ .” He tries to convey his desperation in that one word. “Don’t you dare hang up! This is life or death!”

“ _ Dude _ .” He can hear Mitch chewing through the phone, which is frankly disgusting. “ _ How bad can this guy be _ ?”

“He invited me to a party, at his place, and there’s  _ no one else here _ .” 

There’s a pause.

“ _ Shit _ .  _ Can you escape out the bathroom window _ ?”

“No.” Connor glares balefully at the small square window.  He’s already checked it out, he’s not going to fit his shoulders through that. And they’re on the third floor of the apartment- that’s not a fall he wants to experience. Even if he did momentarily consider it. Besides, “My shoes are by the door.”

“ _ Why aren’t they on your feet _ ?” Mitch demands.

“Because I was raised right!”

“ _ We’re coming back this argument later _ ,” Mitch tells him. “ _ Send me the apartment number. _ ”

Connor quickly types out what he can remember about the apartment, then sends Mitch his location. He’s already feeling a little more settled knowing the guys can find him now.

“ _ Got it _ , _ ”  _ Mitch confirms. “ _ It’s gonna be like, ten minutes. Can you hold on for that long _ ?” 

Connor can last twenty if it means there’s an end to this in sight. 

“ _ See you in ten. Text me if it gets worse _ .”

“I owe you, dude.” 

“ _ Just tell this jackass to keep his hands to himself _ .” 

Which is when said jackass knocks on the bathroom door.

“Connor? You need a hand in there?”

“Oh my god, hurry,” Connor whispers and hangs up. He shoves his phone back into his pocket and flushes the toilet, then turns the tap on. Louder he calls back, “I’m fine, thanks!”

He’s dreading it when he unlocks the door and steps back out. Alex is waiting for him there, and Connor isn’t sure how he managed to keep the creepy, half smirk out of all of his online photos because it hasn’t faded once since they met up. 

“We were starting to worry you’d fallen in.” Alex doesn’t back up when Connor steps out and they’re chest to chest and so far out of Connor’s comfort zone that he’s considering just locking himself back in the washroom until help arrives. 

“Yeah, sorry.” He has to actually  _ shoulder _ his way past Alex to get out of the little hallway and back into the main room where his roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend have  _ mysteriously _ disappeared. 

Fuck.

“They wanted some privacy.” Alex apparently can read minds too now, though why he can’t pick up on how much Connor  _ doesn’t _ want to be there is a mystery to him. “And thought they’d give us some too.”

Connor gags a little.

Ten minutes. He can do this.

“How about we watch a movie.” He darts out of reach as Alex follows him into the room, spotting the bookshelf full of dvds. He keeps himself angled so he can see where Alex is moving, while pretending to take in the titles of the movies. 

And then he gets distracted because- is that...who keeps actual  _ porn _ in with their movies?

“Good idea.” Alex appears next to him, hand coming to sit  _ low _ on Connor’s back. His skin crawls. “I have the perfect one.”

_ Please not the porn _ . 

Alex grabs one- and Connor tries not to sag in relief when it turns out to not be porn- and steers Connor back to the couch, half tossing him down on it before turning to get the tv set up.

Connor’s pocket buzzes and he scrambles for his phone, but then Alex is back, and his phone ends up stuck in his pocket as Alex throws an arm across Connor’s shoulders and pulls him flush against his side.

His pocket buzzes again and Connor tries to figure out how long it’s been.

He tries to remember if you needed to get buzzed in to get into the apartment building and his stomach sinks. He’s going to have to make his own escape. 

The arm thrown over his shoulder shifts and Alex’s hand brushes the bare skin of his collarbone and Connor wrenches himself up and off the couch. 

“You know, I forgot I have to meet my buddy for dinner.” 

Alex frowns up at him, the first time the smarmy look has faded, and it makes his face look pinched and unpleasant. 

“You didn’t mention it earlier.” Alex pushes to his feet and Connor takes a step backwards.

“Completely forgot,” he lies, heading for the door but Alex cuts him off. Connor’s chest is tight, heart pounding and he’s gearing up for the inevitable confrontation when there’s a heavy pounding on the door.

They both freeze.

The pounding comes again.

Relief rushes through Connor, leaving him dizzy. 

He manages to find his voice. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

Alex shoots him a dark look and reluctantly goes to open it. 

Freddie’s on the other side.

“Can I help you?” Alex demands, smooth persona falling away to leave an unlikeable, cranky man who’s just been denied what he wants.

“Yeah, I’m here for Connor.” Freddie  _ looms _ over Alex, expression dark and unimpressed as he takes him in. He crosses his arms, his impressive biceps  _ bulging, _ and Connor is man enough to admit he actually  _ swoons _ a little.

If this was an exercise in getting over Freddie, it definitely didn’t work.

“We’re on a date.” Alex casts a pointed look at Connor, who ducks over and grabs his shoes, shoving his feet into them.

“Not anymore,” Freddie informs him, and Alex may be tall but Freddie has at least an inch and thirty pounds of  _ muscle _ on him. He peers past Alex at Connor. “Are you alright?”

“Awesome now,” he replies, ducking past Alex. 

“What the hell?” Alex tries to reach out for him but he’s stopped by Freddie physically putting himself between him and Connor. And Connor knows he can handle himself but  _ damn _ if there isn’t something about it that Connor loves.

“Forget his name, forget his number.” Freddie leaves the  _ or else _ heavily implied and then turns back to Connor. “Got everything?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Fuck, this should be embarrassing as hell, but for the moment he’s going to soak it up and enjoy it.

“Listen you little bitch-” Alex is cut off by Freddie’s glare. 

“He’s not worth it.” Connor touches Freddie’s shoulder, feels the muscles flexing there as he holds himself back. It’s a little awe inspiring to see Freddie’s temper make an appearance, Connor’s used to the quiet, warm side that laughs at his bad jokes and makes Connor sit through Alfred Hitchcock movies. It’s easy to forget that Freddie is a force to be reckoned with.

Alex slams his door shut, which considering how petty it is, is pretty hilarious, and they get out of there. 

Connor doesn’t full relax until he’s safely ensconced in Freddie’s car though and then his breathing goes a little funny as it hits him that he never has to see that asshole again.

“Hey, hey-” One of Freddie’s large, warm hands comes up, curling around the back of his neck and it helps ground him. “You’re okay, he’s not here.” 

“I seriously owe you,” Connor wheezes, presses into the touch. His gaze falls on the dashboard clock. “How did you get here so fast?” 

“The restaurant isn’t far from here.” 

“Oh shit, you were at work? I’m so sorry Mitch dragged you into this.” Guilt pools in his stomach. He knows how much Freddie loves working there, how much he needs the job.

“It’s fine.” Freddie’s hand squeezes once, then falls away. “There’s no universe where I wouldn’t come and get you.” 

And that’s. That’s pretty heavy.

Connor reaches out, figuring he can play this off as leftover trauma or something if it goes wrong, and grasps Freddy’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

Freddie’s eyes widen a little but he squeezes back, holds on just as tightly. 

“Do you have to get back to work?” 

Freddie doesn’t look away from Connor.

“They’ll be fine without me.”

Everything about Freddie is so comforting, so all consuming and Connor finds himself blurting out, “I was trying to get over you.” without meaning to. 

His cheeks burn bright with embarrassment. 

“Get over me?” Freddie repeats. He’s still holding Connor’s hand.

“Because one sided crushes are kind of pathetic.” He shrugs, looks away. “Aren’t they?” 

He looks at Freddie from under his lashes, prepared for Freddie’s pity, for the ‘we’re just friends’ speech, because at the end of it all, Freddie is  _ kind _ .

“Why does it have to be one sided?” Freddie asks instead and there’s a small, warm smile slipping across his face that lights Connor up from the inside.

“ _ Oh _ .” Connor can’t help his own smile from breaking across his face, ducks his head, inordinately pleased. 

“Yeah.” Freddie huffs out a laugh. “Auston told me I was being too obvious. Apparently I wasn’t.” 

“We’re going to get chirped about this  _ forever _ .” Connor sighs but it’s worth all of the inevitable chirping when Freddie just squeezes his hand and says,

“Come over to mine?” 

And Connor can’t help himself, has to feel that sweet smile pressed against his own. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The OC in this fic clearly makes Connor uncomfortable and touches him without his permission, but it's all kept fairly light and Freddie shows up before anything happens.


End file.
